Month: March 2017

Well so far on this farm adventure I’ve traded chickens for rabbits and half a pig for some geese. I’ve got to learn to trade things for cash someday.

After receiving my husband’s permission of course, I sent a note to a Craigslist advertiser and traded the pork for one gander and five geese. They are an awesome addition to our little homestead. They did, however, precipitate quite a struggle to prepare for their arrival. Have I mentioned that it’s been raining ALOT here? 🙂 I know I have.

I can’t think of much that is more frustrating than trying to build a fence in the rain. Except maybe trying to build a fence in the rain in soil that is 90% clay. Jeez what a pain.

And I mean constant rain. And then of course there’s always the adventure of digging in the ground on a place that’s been occupied for almost 100 years.

Because there’s a rule that no matter where you dig, that’s where the waterlines will be. Yay! More water!!

We literally were hanging the gate 30 minutes before the geese arrived. They have been worth it though. They are so pretty to watch. And within an hour of being here they gifted us with our first goose egg.

Don used it to make a pineapple upside-down cake and it was awesome. We’ve gotten three more. From what I’ve read online goose eggs are prized for baking and making pasta. Who knew?

In a total non sequitur, I had a tingly, slightly eery experience while raking rabbit poo from underneath the grow-out pen. I found this:

At first I thought it was a steak knife. When I picked it up I decided it must be a letter opener.

Upon closer inspection though it turned out to be someone’s Athame or magical knife used during Wiccan ceremonies. I am just so curious as to whom among the previous residents of this place was practicing moon magic. It’s by far more interesting than the various car parts that keep working their way out of the soil.

And finally, in a perverse f-u to the traditional farm cycle and rebirth that is spring I processed the rabbits and sent the pigs to freezer camp this weekend. The pigs dressed out at about 200 pounds each and the rabbits at about 2.2 pounds. We should be set for meat for awhile.

It’s been such an interesting experience raising animals for food. I’ve lost a lot of my Beatrix Potter view of them – there’s nothing romantic about chickens and geese mating, and rabbits and pigs can be vicious to each other – but at the same time I feel more connected to the world I am a part of. I don’t have any deep truth to share or even any insight. Mostly I wonder at the cosmic joke of a hairless ape practicing animal husbandry.

Welcome!

One guy with one husband two grown children and a yapping dog plows his way through life, occasionally looking back and thinking "Did I do that?"

I hope you enjoy your visit.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.